Lost Opportunities
by Cassa.may
Summary: He wanted her, but he was not the only one. A story about a lost opportunity at happiness. One sided DM/HG, hints at HG/VK
1. Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy shot a death glare that could stop a werewolf in its tracks in the general direction of Viktor Krum.

Now, there are many reasons that Draco could be pissed at Krum. He could be bitter about the fact that Viktor way outclassed him at flying, and Malfoy's are used to being the best. It could be the gaggle of giggling girls who trail him, and Malfoy's usually have no shortage of feminine attention. Or, it could have more to do with the subtle glances that Krum kept throwing in his direction.

The third and final reason for currently wishing a slow and painful death to the star Quiddich player was the closest to hitting the mark…. but not quite. See, Draco Malfoy was for once not concerned about himself: it was the attractive female in the seat beside him that was both the reason for Krum's subtle spying, and Draco's annoyance at this fact.

For this was not just any girl, as both boys understood only too clearly. This was one of the most rare, most treasured females around, the fish that everyone covets, few glimpse, and only one is lucky enough to catch.

Chestnut- coloured hair, falling in long waves to just past her shoulders, as the chocolate-brown eyes (with just a hint of gold) narrow with concentration. Every perfect feature of her face reflects intense concentration. Her slender frame hunched over, leaning in towards the enormous book in front of her, hides the rest of her perfectly proportioned figure.

But this is not the most remarkable part of the girl, it is simply the beginning, as the aspect that makes this female so rare is her beautiful soul.

Battling constantly against prejudice, she shows determination, intelligence, loyalty and liveliness. She is the most honest, yet still kind friend that anyone could ask for. She is easygoing, friendly and the most caring personality. Despite all the adversity, she is an optimist, a dreamer, and a firm believer in second chances. On top of it all is a completely warped self-perception, in which she sees herself as being worth less than the average person, and no amount of convincing could turn her mind to the alternative.

Up until a few months ago, Draco was one of the antagonists. Never seeing himself as having a chance with her, he would provoke her to simply spark a reaction, to assure him that she knew he existed. Until, one day in the library he was watching her, just as Krum does now, and he decided to try his luck at a friendship… at least for now. It was this mentality of throwing yourself out there that he feared from the Bulgarian now.

When Draco had first approached, offered the hand of friendship along with an apology, he could read the wariness in her expressive eyes. But after a while, her belief in the good in people had won out, and she offered her assistance and a permanent spot beside her while studying. It soon led away from running into each other every so often, to planning meetings where they used each other as a sounding board.

They had kept these meetings in the library a secret from their friends; although they were not ashamed, they knew the others would not understand their unlikely friendship. The blood supremacist and the Mudblood, friends? It was shocking to themselves, how could they expect anyone else to understand? But as the days went by, the more Draco fell for her, and the more agonised his soul became. It was a shaky truce to begin with; dare he blur the lines more?

It is moments like these that make him assess whether he has done the right thing. Any moment now, she could be stolen from him, without her even realising! He has not confided in her his true feelings, but he knows he should. He takes a deep breath to steady himself. "Hermione?"

She looks up smiling, a question in her eyes. "Yes, Draco?"

"I… I… ummm…" he is momentarily struggling for words, and while deliberating how to express himself, he realises he is too late. Before he can get the words out, the hulking shadow of Viktor Krum is standing on Hermione's other side. He raises his eyes to the other boys face, and noticing his distraction, Hermione turns.

"May I haff a vord?"

"I won't be long Draco," she tells him, rising to talk to him. "Then I can see if I can help with what you were about to ask."

As she walks away, I drop my head in my hands. _Don't worry Hermione, _my head screams in despair. _You won't be able to help me this time._

I have just lost my last chance.

***My first Dramione! At the moment, it is only one-sided, but could turn out to be more. Please review and let me know whether you want me to continue, and if you have any requests as to what you would like to see, i'll try and work it in!**

**Thanks!**

**Cassa  
**


	2. Chapter 2

***thanks for the reviews, guys! I got so excited at the thought of feedback, and I appreciate how you guys want me to keep writing****‼**** Sooo happy that you think its worth following****‼****! :D :D :D**

**Oh and by the way, I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, blah blah blah, and all that jazz. I forgot on the first chapter and on my other story, but you guys all knew that, so I'm not going to do this anymore :D**

_Recap:_

"_May I haff a vord?"_

"_I won't be long Draco," she tells him, rising to talk to him. "Then I can see if I can help with what you were about to ask."_

_As she walks away, I drop my head in my hands. Don't worry Hermione, my head screams in despair. You won't be able to help me this time._

_I have just lost my last chance._

Anyone walking past me would just see Draco Malfoy as they expected; head held upright, impeccable posture, superior expression. However, if they bothered to look closer, they would see the frantic conflict that is being conducted in my mind, as every pore of my being burns with jealousy at the scene not so far away. Star Quiddich player, Viktor Krum, has bested me yet again, in the only way which matters.

I am torturing myself by watching the two of them laugh and talk with each other, and yet I must be a sadist, as I cannot look away. I know what is happening; I just cannot hear the exact words. He was watching her, I knew, for quite a while... just not for as long as I have. I watch, as though detached from my feelings and emotions, but still feeling every bit of damage to my heart.

I watch her walk back, bubbling over with excitement and happiness, and my heart breaks. Her expression is animated, eyes shining, and I have never seen her look so beautiful. It seems cruel that she has just grown more beautiful through the effects of happiness, when I know I have even less chance than before.

"Guess what, Draco!" she squeals. "_I was just asked to the Yule ball by Viktor Krum!"_

"Congratulations, Mione," I told her, forcing a smile. "I'm happy for you, sweetheart."

I must not have been as good an actor as what I usually am, as her smile dimmed a slight amount as she watched me, and she asked uncertainly "are you alright, Draco? Is there anything wrong?"

I forced false feelings of happiness into my system before I replied. Making an attempt to appear more natural, I made sure the smile appeared genuine and replied as sincerely as I could make it "no, everything's fine. I'm just concerned; make sure he treats you right, ok? I don't want to have to come after him if he hurts you."

Her face relaxed a little, but she still looked a little suspicious (damn these girls and their emotional instincts!) and said quietly "he won't, don't worry. I can handle him. As long as you're sure that's all?"

"Yes, I'm sure Hermione. I was just thinking, I need to get going, I promised Professor Snape that I would go help him prepare for next class. I'll hopefully see you soon?"

Without waiting for an answer, I hurried out the library, with only one clear thought in my head; _get the hell away from here, fast!_

Finally free to let my guard down and act normally, I slowed down once I was about two floors up from the library to breathe. No one was in the corridors, as it was a Sunday morning and most people were in bed, or already doing other leisurely pursuits. I started walking again, finally able to think without worrying about the look across my face.

How did this new obstacle affect me? I still wanted her, with every fiber of my body, but what role should I play with this new relationship in her life? Should I stand in the background, talk to her as normal, and wait out the relationships end? Should I run to her immediately, tell her everything, and wait for her to choose between me and him?

Neither of these options sounded appealing. The first one seemed very risky; I don't believe I could stand listening to the details of their relationship, eagerly awaiting my turn. Also, what if the relationship didn't end? If they just got more and more serious, until I have absolutely no chance of convincing her that she is better off with me.

What of the second option? Yes, it seems more likely to work than the first, but it still seems too risky. What if she made a hasty decision which she would regret, and resent me for it? Worse, what if she picked Krum over me? I would then have no chance at all to change her mind, and the beautiful friendship that we have at the moment would be in ruins as well.

As I was thinking, I wasn't really paying attention to the corridors, and it wasn't until I bounced off something solid in my path that I realized there was somebody there. I looked up in time to see a shocked expression cross the face of Harry Potter, and I internally groaned. It was just my luck that I bump into my longtime nemesis out of all the students at Hogwarts, but also the best friend of the girl I wanted to make mine.

With this in mind, it set my strategy for dealing with both problems facing me: both the one in my face and the one which caused the collision in the first place. "I apologize, Potter, I was not paying attention to where I was going, I didn't mean to bump into you" I said, hoping that he would take it well and not be suspicious.

The shocked expression on his face was well and truly worth it. Man, I should have thought of this sooner. Grinning, but losing it laughing internally, I offered my hand. "No hard feelings?"

He stood there gaping for a moment, gaze flickering from my hand to my face and back again before deciding what he was going to do. "Sure," he said in a friendly way, yet still with a trace of shock and suspicion. "I'm surprised though… why so levelheaded today? I would have thought you would be screaming at me for getting in your way, not shaking on it with a smile?"

I smiled back, mentally rejoicing at the victory. "Oh, I just believe it's time we put our differences aside, and moved on. We argued when we were kids, I just believe it's time to move on."

Looking dumbfounded, Potter agreed. "We can give it a shot, there's nothing to lose. So, Malfoy… what does this mean? Are we friends now, or just not enemies?"

"Friends, if you would like?"

"I'd like that." He replies, as we both start to move on in the directions we were going. "See you later, Malfoy."

"See you later," I told him. "Oh, and by the way?" He turns to face me again. "You can call me Draco, if you would like."

He inclines his head in understanding, and we continue on. I smile in victory.

I will fight for her. I will be her friend, and leave the decision up to her, but from now on, I refuse to hide my attraction. Let her decide without giving her an ultimatum. And if I intend on becoming her boyfriend, as I would most certainly like, I should make the effort to show her I am serious, and mend the rivalry and animosity between me and her two best friends.

***So what do you guys think? Should I continue on? Any suggestions for story ideas? This plot should follow through at least a few chapters, but if you have any requests as to what you would like to see in later chapters, I am completely open to suggestion. How long should it take for Hermione to come to her senses? Please review! Thanks guys, you are awesome!**

**Cassa**


	3. Chapter 3 HELP!

Guys, I need help

I'm the sort of person who writes to demand, and lovvvesssss encouragement. If you guys want to see me complete this, you need to tell me what you want to see, just to get the creative thought process going. Basically, if I don't get reviews and requests, I think that people don't want me to continue, and get massive writers block. I love the storyline and don't want to leave this story because its my first multi-chapter fic and I like the storyline. Please help, just a few words of encouragement is all I need!

I love u all!

Cassa


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